Valkyries Coach Natalie Nakase Wins Big Honor Ahead of Valkyries-Lynx Playoffs

Nakase Named AP Coach of the Year

Nakase was named the Associated Press Coach of the Year on Friday. Under Nakase, the Valkyries finished with a 23-21 record, the most wins ever by a debuting Expansion Franchise and clinched the eighth seed in the upcoming playoffs, something else that's been unprecedented for Expansion teams in their first season.

The Valkyries have also been statistical standouts under Nakase. The Valkyries ranked top-five in rebounds per game (35.3), free throw percentage (81.5), defensive rating (99.8), and opponent points per game (76.3) per Golden State.

Nakase has been the favorite to win the WNBA's Coach of the Year award due to her performance with Golden State amidst the uncertainty of a team that are all playing with each other for the first time and a season that was rife with injury trouble, including the loss of All-Star forward Kayla Thornton to a season-ending knee injury in July.

Nakase has navigated a roster that has shifted constantly and found synergy with a core of emerging young players like center Iliana Rupert and guards Kate Martin and Carla Leite and veterans such as guard Tiffany Hayes.

When asked what the possibility of a coaching award would mean to her, Nakase took a moment to instead laud the accomplishments of her coaching staff and emphasize the contributions every facet of the organization makes to the team's on-court success.

"It should be Coaching Staff of the Year," Nakase said (via Kenzo Fukuda of Clutch Points). "I'm not doing the scouting on my own, I'm not doing the player development on my own... it's a credit to my staff."

Nakase's Approach to Awards Compared to the Playoffs

Nakase has made it clear in the past that personal awards are of no concern of concern to her, and the playoffs were the real accomplishment she and her team were in pursuit of.

Now, those playoffs are here and Nakase likely has bigger things on her mine at the moment than any individual award. The first round of the playoffs tips off on Sunday, Sep. 14 with the Valkyries staring down a matchup with the dominant Minnesota Lynx.